Pittsburgh Artist Registry

JAN LONEY / ARTIST STATEMENT

My work is often informed by science, technology, nature, and ecological practices, and I love exploring and expressing our response to social and environmental issues. 

I have been a professional metal artist for 20 years, specializing in artisan jewelry and small scale commissioned objects for decorative and functional use.  Eager to expand my technical skills, project experience, and client base, I have supplemented my small-scale work with several public art commissions, at incrementally larger scales. With these forays, I have realized how my creative process extends to larger projects, in terms of concept, design, planning, infused wit, meticulous fabrication, and my passion for exploring new media, materials, and methods for making art.

With completion of a highly successful large scale project at Allegheny College in 2012, I launched “v2.0” of my artistic career with a new focus on designing permanent large scale installations in architectural spaces, landscapes, and public venues.  I discovered that I relish working at an expansive artistic scale on projects designed to have lasting presence with a wide audience; and that I have a talent for and enjoy collaborating with teams of designers, engineers, and other professionals to create beautiful, enduring work.  Also, as an artist who works at the crossroads of industrial design, ornament, and infrastructure, I am drawn to projects that are created for specific places and purposes.  Though my work is exhibited in galleries, I love public art commissions because they are rooted in the world, created for passersby to encounter unexpectedly, not just for those savvy about gallery and installation art.

The Allegheny College installation forged another epiphany, introducing me to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the world standard for measuring sustainability. Henceforth I strive to incorporate “green” principles and recycled materials in my art whenever possible.

I typically work in metal because of its durability, malleability, great expressive potential, variety in color, pattern, and texture, and because I love the hands-on work of forming, finishing, treating, cutting, and crafting it. I embrace the challenges of working with this medium, mastering new technical/fabrication skills, working with new precious and industrial materials, and exploring new creative themes. I continue to learn through: intense self-directed research and prototyping, by working with master craftspersons, and by collaborating with other artisans. 

At small or large scales, I engage with artists in other media to expand my artistic vocabulary. Since my work at Allegheny College in 2012, I have been especially intrigued by the creative possibilities of combining metal with glass.  I have completed several installations in collaboration with glass artists, and each served as a hands-on introduction to the enchanted alchemy of this medium.

In line with my evolving interest in working with glass and my interest in forging a “green practice,” in 2013, I was awarded a major grant by The Pittsburgh Foundation’s “Investing in Professional Artists Program” to research methods and materials and acquire skills to create new artwork using recycled glass.  I am forging new artistic ground using this medium as part of my palette in my large-scale commissions. Few artists are currently embracing this challenging medium—most use new/virgin glass. Having just begun my self-designed, yearlong study of glass fabrication, I recognize that my research and collaboration with master glass artists will push the boundaries of traditional fabrication methods. Becoming adept at working with recycled glass, I will be able to implement my own artistic vision in a seamless, integrated process, with the exacting standards that I have for working with metal. I am applying all of my previous skills in fabrication, methodical research and prototyping, and my creative intuition and ability to dream up a concept and determine make that an artistic reality.

Another inspiration for my work is what I learn from teaching. Since 2000, I have completed 35+ teaching residencies in Southwestern PA as a teaching artist with the PA Council on the Arts. Each assignment has challenged and enriched my taste for integrating art, education, and community outreach, and refreshed my confidence and sense of wonder in the extraordinary abilities of the young people with whom I work.